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In just two days,. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head- and the murder weapon? Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984. Patricia Smith had been laid straight, her arms crossed over her chest as if on display in a funeral home. Two young boys were asleep in other rooms in the house. Ewing was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. Often times a profilerwill come up with a profile that fits into a box, the box was made from materials that were provided by profiles obtained from past criminals who committed similar crimes, which is a really great place to start. Almost six days later, tragedy struck Aurora once again. He further explained the nature of the coordinated and combined effort that contributed to the identification of this suspect, and the initial ease at which the system has thus far moved. Remember me? In 2002, Arapahoe County filed a John Doe arrest warrant for the perpetrator of the Bennet murders based on the DNA profile. Second Crime Scene Full cooperation from Nevada Law Enforcement led to a confirmation of the DNA match. alone. The killer murdered two parents - Bruce and Debra Bennett - and their 7-year-old, Melissa, and left their other child severely injured. Peck Funeral Home assisted the family . He was brought to Colorado to face trial for the deaths of the Bennett family. Bruce's mother would discover the family the next day inside the home, after no one answered calls to their landline. Before exiting the vehicle, she turned to grab her flight attendant uniform, which was hanging in the back. Ewing has been behind bars in Nevada since the summer of 1984 after he escaped there while being transported to Kingman, Arizona, from St. George, Utah, for a court appearance on attempted murder and burglary charges. A 61-year-old man learned this week he'll die behind prison bars after being sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the 1984 murders of a Colorado couple and their 7-year-old daughter, PEOPLE confirms. Why was she the lone survivor? The Bennett family was attacked either the night of Jan. 15 or the morning of Jan. 16. The police found her posed with her arms crossed over her chest, as if she was in a coffin. They were almost always in good shape/new condition, and lab analysis revealed almost nothing about them except the occasional hair. He said the detectives who have worked it over the years, in particular Detective Steve Conner, the departments cold case investigator, never quit on. He also appealed to other district attorneys and lawmakers who might be watching (singling out Montana briefly) to change their DNA collection laws and practices and to begin participating in CODIS. He assured the public that theyll move with all appropriate speed.. Other attacks had occurred off of this main road, and its believed that the killer couldve entered the area from that point. Lightening the speech with a quasi-political jab at Al Gores inventing the internet, he went on to describe cooperation from Clark County Nevada and Mojave County Arizona, which were other jurisdictions whod had Ewing pass through their systems. bennett family murders addressithaca high school lacrosse roster. The jury found Ewing guilty on all counts. There were very few leads to go on only a hazy physical description from Kim. October 21st, 1982 According to property records, the couple stayed in the same house after the attack. A man accused of murdering a mother and three children has also been charged with raping one of the victims, who was 11. There is no innocent explanation for how you explain all of the evidence.. The family was discovered by Constance Bennett who has since raised little Vanessa. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that both were attacked with a knife and beaten to death. Im your biggest fan. Dont you feel cheated a little? The same night he escaped, he broke into yet another couples house and attacked the male of the home. Why did they have to get murdered? The severity of her injuries cant be understated. The money was never claimed. Long Prairie, Minn. Long Prairie is a town of about 3,000 people in central Minnesota's Todd County. Patricia had come home from work for lunch, stopping at Wendys on the way. Lauers Chevy Nova was later discovered heading AWAY from the beach. I believe he killed again no way he stopped. Upon the capture of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case, Conner again turned to genealogical databases. I would re-profile the killer, re-examine the details of each victims daily life, re-examine the suspect pool, re-examine the crime scenes without any emotion whatsoever. I lost the person who I was supposed to be.. Victim #14received a phone call from a man who whispered Remember when we played? She positively identified the man as the voice of the East Area Rapist. Become a Patreon Supporter for bonus content! When a telephone call came for Steve Bennett on the afternoon of July 4, 1985, his daughter, Whitney, opened her bedroom window to summon her father, who was outside watering the front yard. She suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw, and neck. She was also raped. They saw her parents killer as a boogeyman who would attack and them and kill them if they went anywhere near little Vanessas home for parties or play dates. It, and the floor around it, was soaked in blood. He also shattered the face of Bruce Bennetts 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa. No other motive like robbery could be found as the only items missing were the knife used to cut Bruce and Debras purse, yet the contents of the purse were strewn in the front yard. "There is no punishment that is too harsh for you and I will do everything in my power to make sure you never draw a free breath ever again.". Additionally, an audio expert associated with an upcoming television show that were a part of was able to isolate the background sounds of the Gonna Kill You phone call, and there was a tiny bit of a surprise in there. Sometimes it works, sometimes its sort of right, sometimes not even close. Your email address will not be published. But some states were slow to add DNA to CODIS and the Damn ACLU had to butt its nose into it and doesnt like how some states collect DNA beyond certain felony charges or convictions. Theyd been strangled, their throats had been slashed, and rope marks were found on their necks and wrists. He usually tied them so tightly that circulation was restricted, used the same types of knots, and would often have the wife tie up the husband (and then retie the husband himself). As she turned to leave the car, she felt a tremendous blow on the left side of her head. He took Debras purse and went out the front door, then dumped the contents out onto the snow. Fourth Crime Scene That, and the knots he used, provide a link among several scenes. Another resident, Donna Dixon, was also struck with a hammer. Juliana Kenney, 75, her husband Clayton Kenney, 83, and Mrs. Kenney's 44- year-old daughter, Adrienne Arnot, were beaten and stabbed to . On Friday, August 10th, 2018 at 10:00 AM Mountain Time, a press conference was held to announce that two different jurisdictions in Colorado were filing charges against a man named Alex Christopher Ewing for the Patricia Smith and Bennett family homicides. Alex Ewing on trial for the murder of three members of the Bennett family (credit: Aurora Sentinel). But he isnt going to talk about this crime to just a friend or bar mate. Ramirez heads to Sierra Madre, CA, where he attacks Whitney Bennett, 16, with a tire iron as she sleeps. The rapes were opportunities and only that. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. Alexander was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. This generated a buzz of discussion, with victims and family wondering why this information wasnt released sooner, and online sleuths pouring over leads such as previous offenders named Richard, different water company uniforms looked at, and even eyes turned toward folks who were associated with a Canadian town/military base called Petawawa in Ontario. "I have seen all kinds of evil and wickedness nothing compares to the level of depravity that your actions show in this case," Vahle told Ewing. The Bennett family. What are Dr. Bennett's areas of care? He was among many who worked the case tirelessly for many years and is directly responsible for using some of the innovative DNA technologies, such as the Parabon Nanolabs imaging that came out a few years ago. Tamara Lich's trial on multiple charges related to the Freedom Convoy protests is set to start in the fall. Never profile someone using the box as your guide. Investigators did not forget about the hammer murders, however, nor did the town of Aurora. The previous week, on the 10th of January,awoman in her fifties named Patricia Smith had also been murdered in her own home in a townhouse in Green Mountain, Lakewood, which is just a 25 minute drive from the Bennetts home in Aurora. There is no punishment that is too harsh for you and I will do everything in my power to make sure you never draw a free breath ever again.. In just two days, Melissa would turn 8 years old. HE had to get knife in addition to the hammer just to ward off Bruce who was trying to protect his family. If he had not done that, they may have been the unfortunately victims. He faced six counts of first-degree murder. July 5, 1985 Survivor In Sierra Madre. This killers only motive was to kill. The prints taken from the Bennett crime scene were fuzzy and not usable, the concrete floor they took that had a footprint would be unusable at this point. Here are the days of the week the alleged killer struck each victim (s). Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. Only the youngest daughter survived, with life-threatening injuries. One of the signature trademarks of an EAR/GSK attack was the use of ligatures. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that they had both attacked with a knife and beaten to death. Recently, he was exploring forensic genealogy techniques. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. Ewing would not stop hitting her the entire time and eventually the woman realized that she would have to play dead in order to get him to stop. 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I have seen all kinds of evil and wickedness nothing compares to the level of depravity that your actions show in this case, Vahle told Ewing. Investigators believed the killers attacks escalated from just beating someone with a hammer to actually murdering them. Twenty-eight-year-old Donna Dixon, fresh off a shift working as a flight attendant, had been out running some errands. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. The childs skull was caved in on the right side of her forehead and a metal plate was inserted to reshape the skull. He didnt hate his victims and quite frankly he didnt know any of them personally, he just wanted to kill. For over thirty years, this killer has remained unidentified. A murder probe has opened after four people were found dead at the address yesterday, with . And I hate what I had to go through and still go through. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Listen and Subscribe to The Generation Why Podcast! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Perhaps, though put in tp the system (and hopefully still there, maybe for good), his DNA was never taken to match the DNA from the crime scenes. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into a coma. The Vampire Diaries Wiki Explore Main Page Discuss He shouted her name, but she could only groan in response. . The family originated from Ancient Greece, then eventually settled in the town of Salem. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. Three members of the Bennett family were brutally killed in their Aurora home. ~Then on Jan. 10, 1984, someone used a hammer to strike 50-year-old Patricia Louise Smith several times in the head in her Lakewood home thus killing her sometime between 3pm and 5pm. I didnt hear it mentioned in the press conference, but forensic genealogist incidentally identified the correct surname of the alleged killer: Ewing. This information was released in an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn earlier this year. Part of our book involves some very in-depth detective and forensic work. Jason Bennett, who is understood to be the father of two of the. Seemingly, nothing they did showed investigators any reason someone would want to kill them. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. He attacked the couple with a hammer, bludgeoning them with it and leaving them for dead. The case lacked any apparent motive. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. During sentencing Aug. 17, members of the Bennett and Large families submitted impact statements and came to the courtroom. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Jun 2004 - 201612 years. Later autopsies revealed that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years. There was no sign of forced entry into the home, some articles you come across say that the killer entered through an unlocked garage door. While everyone is looking for a motive it was always looking right back at investigators. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. "I didn't just lose my parents and my sister," Vanessa opened up. He stayed on the prosecution team with Storgaard and Senior Deputy District Attorney Megan Brewer. The husband ran outside but he was gone. Required fields are marked *. "This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community," Kellner said in a statement. A hammer lay next to her. Family photo Police say DNA evidence links Alex Ewing to the 1984 murders of three members of Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa, left. Taking a good long hard look at the evidence again and compare it to someone who was in and/or around that artery in Denver at the time would help to narrow the suspect list or in this case open it up. For an overview of the case, you can review my extensive post from yesterday which covered many of the details. The police found footprints in the snow that led up to and away from other homes in the same area and on the same street, leading them to believe that the offender was simply looking for an easy opportunity to lash out. Headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, Bennett Family of Companies provides innovative logistics and transportation for companies across America. But what about his second? Yvonne Woods was on the stand for more than three hours . Quite frankly if the suspect wasnt on the original list, spoken to or even noticed in this case it may come down to just DNA unless police have enough evidence and suspect info they can rework the case from scratch. Despite the trauma of the attack and losing an incredible amount of blood, the doctors and nurses were able to save her life. At least, until they came to Vanessas bed. He faced six . Later autopsies would reveal that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. AURORA | Police and prosecutors say they have solved the brutal 1984 hammer slayings of the Bennett family in Aurora, one of the citys most-shocking and tough-to-crack cold cases. Here are a few of the notable phone calls: January 15th, 1979 Date: September 19th/22nd, 1987 He could have found other ways to feed the need. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. The 2001 call didnt happen too long ago and makes it a little too close for comfort, though theres something positive to be said for the idea that the offender could still be alive and could still face justice for his crimes.